THR is reporting that Johnny Depp will produce and potentially star in a biopic about the life of Theodor Geisel, aka Doctor Seuss. Illumination Entertainment and Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil are developing the film, and Universal will distribute. No actors or director are attached yet but Keith Bunin has been hired to write the screenplay.
Depp is known for playing iconic characters and real life figures (John Dilllinger, J.M. Barry, The Mad Hatter and Willy Wonka), so it would be no stretch seeing Depp in this role.
For those unfamiliar with Geisel, check out a quick bio below.
“Theodor Geisel was born in 1904 and spent much of his childhood in Springfield, Massachusetts before going to college at Dartmouth. Throughout his early years, he drew advertising and comic strips, then political cartoons during World War II. By 1950, Geisel was publishing the books that became worldwide classics. He died of throat cancer in 1991.”
It is unclear when the film will start production, but we can expect it to be a while until things get started, especially with no director attached. As for Depp, he is currently finishing up filming Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, and then will go off to shoot Gore Verbinski’s Lone Ranger in January.
Whether he’ll have time to fit this one into his schedule reamins to be seen but I do think he’d be great in the role and hopefully he’ll find some time to squeeze it in.
